The unfiltered craze.

Intended or not, did you enjoy the beer? If so, then it's a characteristic, not a flaw.

 

I disagree on a technical basis, but I agree with you in spirit. If the brewer did not intend it, it is a flaw. That's not to say that it can't be a good thing. Lots of successes were accidental.

 

That might be the case for certain adjunct beers, but I don't agree that New England IPAs actually taste like juice. They taste like hops. New varieties of hops that have a certain fruity character to them, yes, but still hops. Put them next to a glass of Tropicana and it's not going to be hard to spot the difference.

 

In my twenty-something years of drinking beer I never heard anything about clarity being a strength, so it wouldn't have occurred to me that haze could be looked at as a flaw without reading about that concept on here.

 

Yeah, same here. That's probably because clarity has been thought to be important since 1800s and in the 1900s became so common that it would have been taken for granted outside of the brewing and homebewing community.

 

Or, a little further back:

 

Plus, on a more important level, cloudiness or haze can be an indicator that something has gone wrong in terms of sanitation.

 

Sure, but I guess my point was intended to be deeper than [shrug] "personal taste!" and more about it not being terribly surprising that people like a version of an already very popular style (IPA) that has lower bitterness and easy drinkability.

As with many things, how complicated a question/answer is will often depend on how deep you want to dig.

 

There's a great saying regarding this that pretty much covers it:

"The plural of anecdote is not data"

 

There's a lot of marketing (hype) and FOMO (fear of missing out) here too. Locally, The Veil releases ~2 new beers every week. Everyone has to try it, has to tick it, and there's a lot of social media from the brewery reinforcing this "don't miss the next best thing".

 

And, the tickers never realize they are being manipulated...

 

10-15 years ago all I could find at the store IPA-wise was Redhook or Harpoon. Maybe something by Magic Hat or Wolaver's if I was lucky. As a Vermonter I don't have a "good old days" clear-IPA benchmark like the West Coast examples the OP cites. Hazy or not, the new stuff is SO much better Redhook/Harpoon etc that given the choice between old/new I couldn't care less what it looks like poured into a glass... it could be purple for all I care. We live in a great time for this style.

 

Given the choice between a beer that has been on the market for decades vs one that has been on the market for a week it's a no-brainer.

 

Of course! Always go for the new one!

...right?

 

We have reached the 6th page and not one mention of the word "crhazies". It would seem that this word has not taken hold.

Cheers!

@Jaycase

 

Sounds like a challenge, @Jaycase!

 

I think lots of folks want beer to look, taste and feel like OJ. I really enjoy this style of beer when I can get it. Twice this month I have looked at a magazine that had a picture of a "Beermosa" (beer + 1-2 Oz. OJ). Just today I picked up in St. Louis the "Sauce" magazine to kill some time while working. It had a picture of Beermosas that took up 3/4 of a page. They looked tasty, served in the fancy wine glasses. Servings looked a little small...and probably a little high priced!

I never really pay attention to what a beer looks like; I've been a member of this website for over 10 years but have done zero beer reviews. Why? I am not qualified. I just don't care about what the beer looks like. Same goes for "lacing". I have a hard time understanding what is important about it to include it in a beer review. That leaves me with "taste" of which I have a hard time describing. I'm just not good at it.

I'm kind of old school, I remember when many of the top beers on this website were Trappist beers. My favorite, St. Bernardus, was pretty close to the top also. Times have changed and beer is changing. Some of these hazy beers are the new top beers.

I have learned much from this thread; I didn't know beer people were so divided on topics such as haziness or a certain style of beer. Along with that I have learned something of the brewing process which is always interesting. Stuff you wouldn't learn on a tour. Why do I like this style of beer? It tastes good. That's my answer!

 

Beermosa....no thanks. I love the NEIPA style, but they taste nothing like a beer mixed with OJ IMO.

 

I just love IPA's. Clear, bitter, and palate destroying? Love it. Opaque, tropical, and soft on the palate? Love it.

It's a style of beer where you get plenty of fruity flavors without having to order a "fruity" drink.

 

I feel the same way, I'll stick with the beer too.